Clive Barker’s Book of Blood (UK DVD release: 26/10/2009) Paranormal researcher Mary Florescu’s investigations lead her to Simon McNeal, a college student who appears to be channelling messages from the dead. As their erotic relationship develops the line between the worlds of the living and the dead become blurred and finally collapse in a stunning and astonishing climax. This, the frame for the Barker’s Books of Blood novels, is the seventh story to be adapted from the series, the others being: Rawhead Rex (filmed in 1986) Cabal (released in 1990 as Nightbreed) The Forbidden (filmed in 1992 as Candyman) The Last Illusion (filmed in 1995 as Lord of Illusions) The Body Politic (filmed in 1997 within Quicksilver Highway for...

Or, Don’t Watch This Film Sober! Don’t Go In The Woods was the first ever video nasty to jump out of the pages of The Dark Side magazine and into my crazed mind! The cover art fascinated me beyond belief. The hand-drawn image of the severely beaten (and presumed dead) woman, the backdrop of an eerie campfire, topped with a tagline of “Everyone has nightmares about the ugliest way to die!” gave me a glimpse of hope that greats like Friday The 13th and The Burning had a new camp-slasher flick to challenge them. How wrong I was. By the time I finally got hold of the Uncut 25th Anniversary edition many years later, I’d trawled through hundreds of...

A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) Watch a trailer for the new Michael Bay-produced reboot starring Jackie Earle Haley as Freddy Krueger. Directed by Samuel Bayer. With Jackie Earle Haley, Rooney Mara, Kyle Gallner. A re-imagining of the horror icon Freddy Krueger, a serial-killer who wields a glove with four blades embedded in the fingers and kills people in their dreams, resulting in their real death in reality TRIVIA: Wes Craven was inspired by several articles printed in the LA Times regarding a group of Cambodian refugees and their children, fleeing from Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge regime. After settling in America, the kids were suffering horrific nightmares, after which they refused to sleep. Acting on medical advice, their parents...

Cinema audiences in 1988 were treated to the bizarre sight of Angus Scrimm sullying the good name of The Tall Man by hawking Fangoria … “Oh, let the dead bodies wait!” Brilliant.  

Paranormal Activity has been making the rounds in small film/fright festivals. Oren Peli’s debut as writer/director was purchased by Paramount and is making a limited release in cities around the States at present. So for so good. As the press juggernaut rolls on, we are wondering if this little horror movie could be this decade’s Blair Witch Project. Most current horror films seem to have as much fright as a wet fart and rely more on hyper-violence to make us squeamish. This picture seems to go back to the basics and is, at the time of writing, receiving a 100% fresh rating from Rotten Tomatoes. The story centres around a young couple who encounter an apparition that wreaks havoc...

Behind the scenes of Sorority Row Check out some photos (link above) of makeup FX artist Gino Crognale on the set of Sorority Row. (May spoil some of the death scenes if you’re hoping for surprises in the cinema). Plot, such as it is, follows … A group of sorority sisters try to cover up the death of their house-sister after a prank gone wrong, only to be stalked by a serial killer. It stars Rumer Willis, Briana Evigan, Leah Pipes, Jamie Chung, Margo Harshman, Audrina Partridge and Carrie Fisher.

Nurse poster photoshoot – Behind the scenes The Saw blood drive (an initiative every year that calls for fans to donate blood) has saved has saved over 358,000 lives to date. A phenomenal effort and achievement on the part of Lionsgate and the Saw franchise. Above, take a peek at how the poster, with Katherine MacDonald as the nurse, and Tim Palen behind the lens, was created.

The DPP (Director of Public Prosecutions) list of ‘video nasties’ was first made public in June 1983. The list was modified monthly as prosecutions failed or were dropped. In total, 72 separate films appeared on the list at one time or another. Thirty-nine films were successfully prosecuted under the Obscene Publications Act but some of these films have been subsequently cut and approved by the BBFC. The remaining 35 were either not prosecuted or had unsuccessful prosecutions. A number of films spent a short time on this list because their prosecutions failed shortly after publication or because it was decided that prosecution was not worth pursuing. Ultimately, the list became obsolete when the Video Recordings Act came into force,...

This sister was doing it for herself. Long before those silly broads the Spice Girls were yelping about “girl power”, one film had a heroine who took shit to a whole new level of girl power. A movie that had men worldwide crossing their legs in 1978 … I Spit On Your Grave was a benchmark for the video nasty and is up there in the must-haves for any horror collector’s library. Our plucky herione, Jennifer, goes to a wooded cabin for some light R&R and to write her hot bodice-ripper of a novel. Her plans are scotched by some horny local yokels and a retard with a need for new talent to fan their burning loins. They decide...

Poster for Saw VI Jigsaw looks a bit like Chairman Mao. If you want to see the epic moving version, click here.